June – CQJP 2013 and a BIG Ugly

When I first set out to accomplish the Crazy Quilt Journal Project of 2013 I was determined not to get behind.  Well…the best laid plans go astray, and we’ve all heard where the road of good intentions leads.  This morning I finally put the finishing stitches on my June block.  Too many things got in the way of timely stitching and completion of this block.  To say I am glad to call it finished is an understatement.

Here are some pictures…

Full block…

Left top…

Right top…

Left bottom…

Right bottom…

Center…

Late yesterday afternoon my dear husband went to the chicken house to pick up eggs, and this is what he found nestled in one of the laying boxes.  Yikes!  I am so thankful I was not the one picking up eggs, because with my cataracts, seeing into those dark, little openings is iffy at best.  I would very likely have been bitten…and this big ugly is a “bad” snake. I know some of you are thinking “there is no such thing as a good snake”, but I am not of that school of thought.  I’m so thankful my husband has better eyesight than me, and that he was the one to pick up eggs when that big ugly was filling its belly.

As if one picture is not enough…here is a second, closer one.

Seeing it dead with its head crushed reminded me of the scripture I will close with today…

Until next time…

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  Genesis 3:15

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Green Is The Word (March CQJP 2013) And Some Vintage Finds

Night before last I made the final stitches in the round robin blocks in my possession.  Last night I had NOTHING ready to work on.  I felt like a fish out of water.  All month I’ve tried to get my March CQJP block constructed.  My fabrics were selected and prewashed and  laying in a wrinkled pile on top of my work space.  On the first day of  March I designed the layout of this month’s block and traced it on my muslin.  Today I finally took the time to press my fabrics and stitch my block.  Yea me!  Tonight the embellishing will begin.  This block is the third of a monochromatic theme.  It is shades of green, and all the materials used to embellish will also be green. 

Here is a picture of the naked block…

Yesterday my husband and I ran errands.  While we were out we stopped by one of my favorite thrift stores.   I found a few framed vintage handwork pieces, a pretty little tea bag holder, and a choker necklace that will be taken apart and used for embellishing crazy quilt blocks. 

Framed tatting (I think this is tatting.  I cannot tell the difference between tatting and fine, cotton crochet)  The shadows on the matting are in the photo only.  The piece is pristine, and I love it!  It is hanging near the chair where I sit and stitch and is a sweet inspiration…

 

I grew up in Virginia and have visited historic Williamsburg several times.  Finding the next two pieces was almost like going home.  The cross stitch samplers are circa 1950’s.  I don’t know where I will hang them, but I couldn’t resist bringing them home.  A lot of care and time went into both pieces, and I always feel a strange connection with the unknown person who spent her time working on them.  I feel a sadness that no one who loved her wanted to hang on to the pieces.

The Raleigh Tavern…

Brutan Parish Church…

I assume this pretty little piece is a tea bag holder (I am drawn to blue glassware and china.  I don’t know if this is a replica or vintage.  It’s pretty, and I will use it.  It’s hand decorated in the USA (a BIG plus in my book) by CC Fine China…Morgana Collection.  I found nothing about it online, but that matters not, because I like it. 🙂

Robert Rose Faux Pearl Choker (I can’t imagine wearing anything like this around my neck, but the parts will be perfect for embellishing CQ blocks…too bad there are no green pieces!)

That’s my thrifty finds from yesterday…thank you for stopping by.  I welcome your comments. 

Until next time…

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally. . . . But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  James 1:5-6

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CQJP 2013 – February Complete

The last day of February rolled around yesterday.  I made my final stitches on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2013 February block just a couple of hours before March rolled in.  My theme is monochromatic blocks…twelve blocks, twelve colors.  Purple was the color for February.  February is “heart month”, and there is no nobler heart than a purple heart. 

All my stitching on this block is free form so it is less than perfect…just like me.  🙂  Though I am tempted to use templates to make each stitch uniform, I have resisted. 

I am sharing several pictures…some close-ups so you can see the detail better.

Full block:

Left upper corner:  A  button cluster with a  dyed Venice lace motif and assorted beads highlights the left upper corner.  This block is my first piece to use the Victorian Fringe stitch as a seam treatment.  I love the look and will definitely use the stitch again.

Upper Right Corner:  The flower sequins are shades of purple.  They look pink in the pictures, but they are not.

Lower Left Corner:  I used this block to practice my vine-stitching technique, so all quadrants feature one.

Lower Right Corner:  Trees are beginning to bud and bloom in Southeast Mississippi and the right corner seemed the perfect place for a budding tree.

Center:  My husband thought my spider was a fly…:)

Thank you for looking. Your comments are most welcome.

Until next time…

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  Revelation 21:4

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